Rain midweek will help alleviate area dryness

Following a very wet spring and early summer that triggered widespread flooding, dry weather has been a fixture in the Chicago area since early August. Since then, increasing rainfall deficits combined with above-normal temperatures have taken a toll on the area's soil moisture, creating borderline drought conditions.

Saturday's general steady rains that brought about half an inch to most locations improved conditions a bit, but a new storm system, expected to deliver the season's first significant snowfall to the central Rockies, is slated to bring another round of significant rainfall to the area Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Dry weather returns late in the week, but another round of precipitation should accompany a frontal system next weekend as a wetter pattern continues to evolve.